Ahsoka's Legacy: Unexpected Arrivals
by Count Mallet
Summary: AU. (2028 AD/2 BBY/33 GrS) In the sequel to "The Other Half of the Family," Ahsoka & Sarah travel to Shili to help the Tano capture a bounty hunter targeting nearby tribes, then return home. But no mission is that simple, is it? Rated Teen for topics including: parenthood, news of a CC's non-canon death, and a nightmare. Originally posted on Fanfiction·net [S46-F38-M18]
1. Prologue

_"Parenting is an impossible job at any age."_

—Harrison Ford (as quoted on brainyquote·com)

* * *

 **Preface**

As mentioned in the summary, this story will have topics that make my usual Teen rating a stronger one than usual. Be assured, however, that I will handle them with what I hope is my usual tact and appropriateness.

This is the second story focusing on the trips to Shili that take place during Sarah's adolescent years. Once again, events Sarah writes about in her private journal will be written as live action here. It's not a prerequisite to read _The Other Half of the Family_ , but there will be references to characters and information first introduced there. Taken as a whole, this story includes events I felt necessary to write about before I make a large jump forward in time.

Speaking of jumps, the prologue will cover an important four-month span that leads up to the main story. Consistent with my recent writing, I've tried to find an optimal pace for the time span so it's neither too fast nor too slow while including the right amount of detail.

Also, keep in mind the original version of these events were written while _Star Wars: The Clone Wars_ was ongoing. As such, the Season Five finale arc and subsequent material, including _Star Wars Rebels_ , will be disregarded. In addition, I used an event from the game _The Force Unleashed_ as it would have occurred just before these events. I realize that game canon was sketchy at best before the Legends declaration—and game canon is most likely non-canon now—but be assured there is a reason I'm accepting the event as-is here.

Finally, I will once again use «angled quotes» to represent words spoken in Togruti.

* * *

 **Acknowledgments**

Very special thanks to the Walt Disney Company for Star Wars characters and concepts.

Special thanks to the author Shadow Griffin (#940553) for allowing me to use the following Togruta concepts: the Togruti word, _carra_ , that translates as "wisdom"; the normal 100°F [37.8°C] body temperature, and the small calming bundle of nerves on the back of the head behind the rear head-tail.

Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

* * *

 _September 15, 2027 (3 BBY/32 GrS)_

* * *

As dinner slowly ended, Ahsoka looked around. It was a big day, and the dinner celebrated a number of events. First, it was Sarah's 13th birthday—her first day as a teenager. In addition, it was her first day as a padawan. From what Ahsoka heard, news that the daughter of her husband's best friend traveled stateside not just for a visit—but to stay to train Sarah—pleasantly surprised the teen. As Sarah's now-master, Delphine attended the dinner, along with Tim's parents.

After Sarah received her birthday gifts, including her first lightsaber, Ahsoka stood up and opened a small box. She removed a chain with an additional string of silka beads attached to one side. She stood behind Sarah, attached the chain to Sarah's headdress, and ran the strings of beads between Sarah's montrals and down each side of her rear head-tail.

"Sarah, these are the same beads I wore when I was a padawan. I'm proud to let you wear them now that you're one. Your padawan years will be full of challenges, but I'm sure you'll remain strong and be knighted just like I was. Once you are, I'll replace them with a new chain," Ahsoka said.

"Thanks, mom," Sarah replied. She fidgeted slightly as the beads bumped against her rear head-tail. Feeling her datapad vibrate, she asked to be excused from the table. Shortly after that, Tim left as well. A few minutes later, both returned and sat down.

Ahsoka took a deep breath. _I'm not sure if I should tell everyone now, but they'll figure out the news sooner or later—some of them sooner,_ she thought. She looked at her daughter and husband before she finally said, "I have some news. Honey, we may have a new addition to the family. I'm three months pregnant."

Ahsoka didn't need to be a Jedi to know how everyone reacted. Sarah looked visibly disgusted at the thought of her parents still being intimate with each other. Tim's parents questioned why their son would want another child given his age and Sarah's age. Delphine looked on in amusement. Having a younger sister herself, she thought Sarah might enjoy having a younger sibling of her own.

"Mom, is that why you've been tired more and pulled away from me when I hugged you?" Sarah asked, breaking the tense silence.

Ahsoka nodded. "Yeah. I'm just as surprised as all of you, too."

"Surprise is an understatement. But, I'm willing to take on the challenge of parenthood again—God and Force willing," Tim added.

Sarah looked on in curiosity, thinking, _Why would he say that?_

* * *

 _October 12_

* * *

As Ahsoka walked with her class to the dining hall, she thought about the previous day's prenatal checkup. It went so smoothly that Knight Rachel told Ahsoka that she might be able to continue teaching her first-grade initiates until the semester break. That would make the transition easier for someone else to take over the class for the semester and give Master Cal and Ahsoka a chance to decide what would work best for both her and the class moving forward.

Ahsoka looked forward to the evening because it was her 14th wedding anniversary, and her husband promised her a night out. Before Ahsoka announced her pregnancy, Tim found himself agreeing at the last-second to take one of Sarah's classmates as a padawan. Tim's request to have her join them for dinner tonight surprised Ahsoka, but given how familiar she was to the family—and her husband's suggestion that she learn how married Jedi balance family life and their obligations to the order—she decided to let the teen join them. As she reached the dining hall, however, an odd feeling in her abdomen brought her thoughts back to the moment.

 _That doesn't feel right_ , Ahsoka thought after what felt like something snapping. An additional shooting pain caused her to clutch her abdomen as she gasped and collapsed to the floor. Her students looked on in panic.

"Master?!" one of them called out.

"What do we do?" another asked.

One of the initiates, a girl named Amy, knelt down on the floor and grabbed Ahsoka's left wrist. She remembered hearing something about a red emergency button and found one on Ahsoka's commlink. She quickly pushed it, but she didn't know if she had to say anything.

Meanwhile, Master Cal left the dining hall and discovered the commotion.

"Initiates, what's going on?" he asked.

"Master Soka fell down grabbing her stomach," Amy explained. "I pressed the red button."

"You did the right thing. Let me take you inside for lunch. Then, I'll find someone to lead your afternoon academic session."

"We can't leave her like this!" Amy protested.

Cal pointed to the medical assistant that arrived on the scene. "She'll take care of your teacher. Let's go get lunch. I promise I'll try to find out what happened for you."

The students nodded and joined Master Cal inside. Andrea pulled out her medical scanner and scanned Ahsoka. The flashing red display on the scanner concerned her as she contacted the medical bay.

"I have a 34 year old Togruta, and it looks like she may be in premature labor. I need a stretcher and a second person, stat!" she reported.

Knight Rachel, not taking any chances, opted to go herself.

* * *

As Molly entered the meeting chamber, it was empty, except for her master. She quickly saw his troubled look.

"Master, what's wrong?"

"It's Ahsoka. She nearly lost the baby," he replied in a near-whisper.

"What?" she asked. _This explains why he's so uneasy_ , she thought.

"She was on her way to lunch when she doubled over in pain. Luckily, someone was there to contact the med bay right away. Knight Rachel did get both mom and baby stable again. But, Ahsoka will be on strict bed rest for a month—maybe two."

Molly gasped. "Master, does this mean you have to stop training me?"

Tim gave her a surprised look. "No, The council met before I summoned you, and we **will** continue your training with some changes."

"What changes?"

"The council gave me permission to have you spend the nights at our house Mondays through Thursdays until the baby is born. That way, I'm able to check up on Ahsoka at night and we continue to train. Besides, you'll get to have a room of your own—our spare room—for the next few months. I already talked to your parents, and they had no objections."

Molly enjoyed the thought of having a little more privacy than what she had in their shared quarters within the Jedi Order. Still, she disliked the circumstances.

"But how are **you** doing," she asked.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared. We didn't have this problem with Sarah, so I'm not sure what's going to happen now. But that's not the worst part of today."

"What is it, master?"

Tim took a deep breath. "Remember, today was our wedding anniversary—14 years. I was all set to take her out tonight. So much for that idea, huh?"

Molly, not knowing what to say next, hugged her master.

"Master, can I see her before we move our stuff?" she asked nervously.

"We can see if she's still awake, or not."

As the pair reached the med bay, Ahsoka slept with a pained look on her face. Her front head-tails dangled limply from her head and the white stripes looked slightly gray. Molly noticed what looked like an IV and other medical instrumentation attached to Ahsoka. Although Molly wasn't sure how far along Ahsoka was, she spotted a noticeable bulge in the middle of her blanket. _She looks awful,_ Molly thought, hoping her master wouldn't sense her thoughts or be offended by the observation.

Tim sensed her discomfort. He put an arm around her shoulder and whispered, "Let's get going."

After the pair packed their belongings, they drove to Tim's house. After showing Molly to the spare room and giving her time to settle in, he knocked on her door.

"Molly, I know it will be hard today, but be sure to study your academics some before lights out."

Molly nodded. "Yes, master." After a moment, she asked, "Master, I'll admit my family isn't religious, but is it OK if I send positive thoughts to Knight Ahsoka through the Force?"

"It can't hurt, my padawan. But for now, focus on your homework. I'll go fix us a snack."

* * *

 _January 25, 2028 (2 BBY/33 GrS)_

* * *

Ahsoka entered the medical bay for her latest check-up. After a month of strict bed rest, Ahsoka felt pleased to be allowed to get out of bed more, albeit with many restrictions, up through today. She sat patiently and nervously on the examination bed as Knight Rachel scanned her and took a blood sample.

Rachel deactivated her datapad. "Ahsoka, I'm glad to announce that everything seems as normal as possible, given the circumstances. You don't have to be on bed rest anymore, but I'd recommend you still take it very easy. Don't go up and down stairs any more than you have to. But you should be able to spend more time with your family and do most of the things you'd normally do. I'm still going to check you every week until your due date. If anything else happens, we may have to do an early c-section for your well-being and the baby's."

Ahsoka nodded. "I'm glad to have some good news for a change. Bed rest has been the most difficult thing for me, especially having to be alone all morning for four days a week," she replied.

"Well, you can now relax without laying in bed. Just don't do anything strenuous."

Ahsoka nodded and stifled a grin. _Tim has been extra protective of me this time around. I couldn't overexert myself even if I wanted to, but I'm glad he's been taking care of me as best he can and keeping the house in one piece,_ she thought.

As she left the medical bay and reached the main information desk, Knight Ashley stopped her.

"Ahsoka, this was waiting for me when I came back to my desk. I think it's for you," she said.

Ahsoka took the envelope. What felt like another holocartridge seemed to be inside.

After nodding, she replied, "Thanks, Ashley. I'll take care of this when I get home."

"Indeed. Good luck, I know you must be due soon."

"About six more weeks. I'll be glad when this is over."

Ashley nodded as Ahsoka left for home.

* * *

At home, Ahsoka carefully went upstairs to her room and grabbed her old holocartridge player. She played the message and saw it was from Da'Meon again. He said:

"Greetings, Ahsoka and Sarah, my fellow warrior sisters. I wish I had happy news, but for now, our people are in fear. A bounty hunter has landed on Shili, and he has already murdered brothers from neighboring tribes. I make a humble plea for any assistance you can provide to capture this bounty hunter before he slaughters any more of our people."

Ahsoka clenched her fist. _We_ _ **will**_ _help our people,_ she thought. She just had to convince the Jedi Council to let her take Sarah. Ahsoka knew there was no way she could have any active role in the mission, but she felt Sarah was the perfect choice to accompany her.

* * *

Ahsoka played the message to the council. For this meeting, her husband, Master Cara, and Knight Ashley presided. Molly, Sarah, and Master Delphine also attended.

"It's imperative that Sarah and I depart for Shili **as soon as possible** to help our people," Ahsoka stated firmly.

"Soka, you were just removed from bed rest today. Given the complications from this pregnancy, is it wise for you to travel that distance this far along?" Tim asked. "And, wouldn't it be more appropriate for Master Delphine to accompany her padawan?"

Turning to Delphine, Ahsoka said, "No offense, but you don't know our people, culture, or the language. There's no way you could learn enough in such a short time."

"I understand," Delphine replied calmly.

Ahsoka activated her commlink. "Knight Rachel, I need you here in the meeting chamber," she stated. The healer arrived shortly thereafter.

"What's going on?" Rachel asked.

"Rachel, we need your objective opinion," Master Cara replied. "Ahsoka is asking to go on a mission involving the tracking of a bounty hunter. Is it your medical opinion that she can go on this mission?"

"While I wouldn't object to her taking someone else with her for the mission, she most definitely should **not** be the one tracking the bounty hunter in any way, given her recent complications."

"See, I can go!" Ahsoka stated emphatically.

"Master Delphine, a question: do you object to Ahsoka assuming responsibility for Padawan Sarah during this mission?" Tim asked.

"No, Master," she replied calmly.

"Then it is settled. Ahsoka, you are temporarily restored to active duty and you will be responsible for Padawan Sarah. Both are for the duration of this mission only. Be advised that Padawan Sarah should be the one to track the bounty hunter to demonstrate progress with her training this far. May the Force be with both of you."

Both Ahsoka and Sarah nodded.

"Let's go, Sarah, we have to get ready. Given how late it will be there now, We can leave here in the morning," Ahsoka stated as she took Sarah with her.

After Ahsoka, Delphine, and Sarah left, Tim told Knight Rachel, "I hope this isn't a mistake."

"As long as she keeps her word to take it easy and not do anything strenuous, I had no medical reason to deny her request to travel."

"Seeing her insist that she has to be the one to take Sarah concerns me, but I trust her judgment. I can only hope nothing bad happens."

"Agreed," Master Cara replied. "It is rare to have a parent and child together on a mission. In this case, though, Padawan Sarah might be the best person to ensure her mother relaxes as she should."

"That's a lot of pressure for a 13-year-old padawan, especially after what she's been through so far. But I imagine we'll learn a lot about her character on this mission—and Ahsoka's too."


	2. (Ch 1) Expressed Concerns

**Date:** January 26, 2028 (2 BBY/33 GrS)

* * *

After breakfast, Tim drove Ahsoka and Sarah to the Jedi Hangar. The latter two packed simply, anticipating a day trip—or an overnight stay—at the most.

Sarah watched her father curiously. She didn't need the Force to sense his obvious concern.

"We'll be back soon," Ahsoka stated.

"I hope so," Tim replied. Hugging Ahsoka as close as he could, he added, "Take it easy, and be careful."

"I'll be fine. Perhaps I'd be tempted to help Sarah in a different situation, but after what I've been through, I'm not risking anything else happening to the baby."

"That's good." Turning to Sarah, he said, "Good luck. I'll definitely be curious to read your post-mission report when you come home." He then added, _Keep an eye on her, princess_ , through their Force telepathy.

Sarah nodded before answering, "We'll be all right." She then boarded the ship with her mother.

Inside, Sarah took her seat next to Ahsoka.

"Alright, Sarah, I promised you could watch me pilot, so if you're interested, pay attention to the take-off sequence."

Sarah nodded. Once Ahsoka radioed for, and received, clearance, Sarah watched her mother carefully as Shili-1 took flight.

"That looked easy enough," Sarah stated.

"Perhaps I just might have you try it on the way home," Ahsoka replied.

* * *

As the ship cruised in auto-pilot through an intergalactic conduit, Sarah took a deep breath.

"Mom, I'm worried about you. Master Del and I could have easily taken care of this. I'd tell her what she needed to know about our family and the tribe," Sarah stated.

"No, Sarah. This mission is personal for me. There's no way I could stay away unless I was still on bed rest," Ahsoka replied firmly.

"Mom?"

Ahsoka blinked her eyes. After checking the instrumentation, she said, "Before I came to Earth, when I was a padawan in this galaxy, one of my missions was to Kiros—a planet near Shili. We were sent to locate a colony of Togruta that was reported to have been rounded up to be sold into slavery."

Sarah gasped. Having learned about slavery in prior history lessons, she wondered how poorly their people were treated.

"I had a key role in the mission when it came to locating and rescuing them," Ahsoka continued, purposely skipping the parts about her capture and her brief torture involving a Zygerrian slave collar. "In fact, the colony's governor praised me for my part in the mission. That's why I'm so determined to help our family. Sarah, I will **always** try to help our people however I can whenever I can. I hope it can be something you learn as well. Da'Meon asked for our help, and I'll give it to him despite the risks. It's OK, though; you'll be tracking down the bounty hunter. I plan to relax with Da'Meon and Cayanna and catch up on any good news since our last visit."

"Alright, mom. I'm just surprised we're going back so soon."

"Me, too. Just to be safe, mask your presence and don't use your lightsaber. The fewer people that know the truth about us the better."

Sarah nodded. "I hope some day we can go to Shili and not worry about this."

"Me too." Suddenly, Ahsoka winced slightly and rubbed her abdomen.

"Mom! Are you OK?" Sarah asked, visibly concerned.

"Of course I am. The baby moved and kicked a bit. It must know we were talking about its second home planet," Ahsoka replied with a smile.

"Thank goodness."

"Here, Sarah, give me your hand." Ahsoka held Sarah's hand against her abdomen, so the latter could feel her sibling's next movements.

"See, it's nothing to be worried about."

"It's cool, but it still feels kind of weird, too," Sarah admitted.

"Maybe, but if you ever have kids someday, you'll know what to expect."

Sarah's head-tail stripes darkened slightly. "I'm only 13, I'm too young to think about that!"

Ahsoka chuckled. "I guess that's a good thing," she replied.

For the remainder of the trip, Sarah listened to music—some of her father's old music she enjoyed during her previous trip to Shili. She also found herself slowly meditating to clear her mind. The idea of tracking another person intimidated her some. So, she wanted to be as focused as possible.

Once they arrived in Ahsoka's home galaxy and approached Shili, Ahsoka asked Sarah to join her.

"Watch the landing sequence. Most of it involves switching the controls back, but you also have to activate this button here. That way, the landing is smooth and keeps us all in one piece."

Sarah nodded. Once they landed, she quickly removed her shoes and her winter leggings. Unlike the snowy weather back home, their location on Shili stayed warm year-round.

"You don't waste much time," Ahsoka deadpanned.

"I want to look like the rest of them," Sarah explained. "Besides, I only wear **my** leggings when it's cold out."

"Are you sure you're my daughter?" Ahsoka half mumbled.

Sarah, hearing the comment clearly, replied, "I look just like you... almost," with a teasing smile.

"Whatever. Let's get going. The sooner we get done here, the sooner we can go home."

Sarah nodded. As they disembarked, Sarah noticed something very peculiar about her mother. She also went barefoot as they stepped off the gangway and entered the turu-grass. Sarah couldn't help giggling.

Ahsoka, however, was not amused. "Yes, Sarah, I'm not wearing shoes. Yeah, I bet everyone will be shocked to see me without boots or leggings. But, don't you **dare** tease me like your father did when I was expecting you. Instead, take this and press the white button," she said.

Sarah took the fob from her mother and pressed the button as instructed. Once again, Sarah looked on in awe as the ship cloaked itself.

Upon reaching the edge of the Tano settlement, two sentinels stood watch. Upon seeing Ahsoka and Sarah, one of the said, «They are of us,» and let them pass. Others recognized Ahsoka and Sarah as they continued to walk.

«That looks like the Mighty Princess,» someone said. Sarah couldn't help smiling after hearing his words.

Others noticed Ahsoka and the fact she was well into her pregnancy. «Whose child is she carrying?» someone else asked.

Once Ahsoka and Sarah reached the central area, more of the tribe gathered around. Some of them exchanged greetings with the pair. Eventually, someone else familiar recognized them.

"Ahsoka, Sarah, you got my message. I didn't expect to see you so soon. I was waiting for you to reply," Da'Meon told them. Cayanna stood alongside him.

"A reply would take days and time we don't have. If the situation was as serious as you say, we needed to come as soon as possible," Ahsoka replied.

"Well, it has been four days, I believe, so I do appreciate your prompt return, even if it looks like you have news of your own."

Cayanna's comment was more gracious. "Congratulations, Ahsoka. Are you well?" she asked.

"It was a bit of a surprise, and there were complications, but I'm well now. Luckily, the baby isn't due for another six weeks."

While most of the crowd slowly left to return to their previous tasks, Da'Meon reported the latest news.

"I've heard that the bounty hunter has killed five others from neighboring tribes. He seems to be heading our way. You can understand I don't want any of my people—our people—murdered if at all possible."

"I understand," Ahsoka replied. "As you can see, I'm not in any condition to do it myself, but Sarah is going to put her tracking skills to the test to see if she can catch him."

"Is that wise? Akuls don't have weapons like a bounty hunter does," Cayanna stated.

"I want to do it," Sarah said. "Tracking anyone or anything has to be the same, isn't it? Besides, I want to show you I haven't forgotten what I learned from my earlier visit here."

Da'Meon was about to reply, but Ahsoka groaned and doubled over. Despite masking their Force signatures, the pained look on Ahsoka's face concerned Sarah.

"My water just broke. The baby must be ready to come now," Ahsoka said.

Sarah sighed loudly. _Great, the baby's on its way. We're on Shili. And I'm sure father would freak out if he knew this was happening. I wouldn't blame him; he was worried this might happen,_ she thought.

Cayanna helped Ahsoka walk slowly to guest hut and told Da'Meon, "Go get Narina* the Healer." Turning to Sarah, she added, "You better get something to eat and prepare for your mission."

Reaching the guest hut, Cayanna and Sarah helped Ahsoka into the same room she stayed in a little over a year ago. As Sarah stepped outside, Cayanna surprised her by holding her shoulders and making eye contact with her.

"Mighty Princess, will you help our people?" she asked. With Ahsoka in labor, Sarah seemingly had to do her part of the mission alone; this concerned Cayanna.

"I'll do all I can to help," Sarah assured her.

A moment later, Sarah sat at a table. Cayanna returned with water and thimiar jerky for Sarah to eat. As Sarah ate, she wrote about the events up to that point in her datapad. Although she hoped that writing would help her feel better and keep her focused on the mission, the thought of her mom having the baby on Shili continued to concern Sarah.

* * *

After Sarah finished eating, Da'Meon sent two tribal sentinels with her. Even if Sarah could capture a bounty hunter by herself, Da'Meon reasoned that the sentinels were more familiar with the area and they could help as necessary.

As the trio reached the scrub lands, they went off in separate directions so that they could encircle the bounty hunter upon discovery. Sarah eventually chose a location approximately halfway between the Tano settlement and the cloaked ship. Sarah sat down in the turu-grass to remain hidden. Knowing she wasn't supposed to use the Force, she relied on her senses and her montrals to stay aware of her surroundings. As the sun set, Sarah continued to attune herself to everything moving around her. Without looking, she could tell when birds flew overhead and when thimiars scurried around her.

Sarah carefully stretched her limbs on occasion to avoid becoming stiff from sitting. As light from Shili's six moons began to illuminate the scrub lands, Sarah swore she felt something heavy in her montrals. It wasn't an akul, but something smaller, such as another person.

 _It might be the bounty hunter,_ Sarah thought. But given the fact her developing montrals had a limited range of echolocation, she chose to stay hidden until she could confirm what triggered her senses.

Sarah stood up carefully and crouched down in the turu-grass. With the individual roughly three feet [0.9 m] away from her, she pounced out of her hiding spot and landed right in front of him. Although Sarah's presence surprised him, he questioned why a younger Togruta would play games with him.

"This tribe must be ignorant if they think I can be stopped by a youngling. I guess I'll finish you off first before I continue," he said.

Sarah, angered by his comments, snarled and lunged towards him as if to tackle him. He easily sidestepped her, and Sarah fell forward into the turu-grass. As she stood up again, she looked in horror as she saw him draw a blaster. Fearing the worst and acting solely on instinct, Sarah drew and ignited her lightsaber. The green blade cut cleanly through the blaster, slicing it in half and leaving it inoperable. As she extinguished her lightsaber, she used a Force-push to knock her opponent to the ground. She then took the length of rope the sentinels gave her and tied his wrists as best as she could.

Back on his feet, the bounty hunter, appeared smug. "When I get free, you'll regret it. The Empire pays handsomely to anyone turning in what's left of the Jedi," he sneered.

 _Oh crap! I gave myself away,_ Sarah thought. Doing her best to stay composed, she grabbed both pieces of the blaster and called to the sentinels. They restrained their captive tighter and escorted him back to the settlement along with Sarah.

* * *

Inside the Tano settlement, The sentinels nudged their captive forward with their spears while Sarah walked alongside them. Da'Meon looked pleased to see the bounty hunter captured.

«Take him away, secure him, and keep him under constant guard,» Da'Meon told the sentinels. After they gestured to acknowledge his words, they escorted their prisoner to the far edge of their settlement.

"You better hope you can secure me, savages. If I escape, I'll expose you for sheltering Jedi," the bounty hunter muttered before the sentinels gave him a more forceful jab with their spears.

"What happens now?" Sarah asked curiously.

"Well, Sarah, crimes that occur within tribes or the scrub lands are judged according to tribal law. If he did murder others, and it can be proven, then he will be executed."

Sarah's eyes widened. On one hand, her parents—especially her father—taught her to respect life. On the other hand, she knew she had to respect local laws and customs.

 _I'm glad I'm not the one who has to judge him,_ she thought. Thinking about her mother again, she anxiously asked, "Da'Meon, do you know how mom is doing?"

"As far as I know, the new youngling hasn't arrived yet. If you want, you can go to the guest hut and welcome your brother or sister yourself."

Sarah ran as fast as she could to the guest hut. Inside, Cayanna was there with an older woman. Sarah assumed the latter was Narina.

Hearing Sarah enter, Cayanna turned and asked her, "Mighty Princess, did you capture the bounty hunter?"

Sarah nodded.

Ahsoka, despite being in labor, stated, "Good job, Sarah. I knew you could do—," before she screamed from her next contraction.

As Cayanna wiped the perspiration off of Ahsoka's forehead, Sarah felt the best place for her was standing beside the bed so she could look her mother in the eyes. She gently held her mother's hand and told her, "Everything is OK. I know father isn't here, but I'll try to do what I can for you."

After a deep breath, Ahsoka replied, "You don't mind being here? I hope this isn't too much for you."

Sarah looked down at the promise ring she received a month ago as a Christmas gift. "No offense, mom, but I won't be doing **this** any time soon," she stated dryly.

"None, taken." Ahsoka then screamed with the next contraction. Sarah quickly jerked her hand away before her mother could put a death-grip on it.

"Don't hurt me! I'm trying to help you," Sarah reminded her mother.

"I can't help it!" Ahsoka snapped back.

* * *

Sarah wasn't sure how much time passed. Still, she and Cayanna did their best to help Ahsoka get through her labor.

"OK, Ahsoka, I need you to give me one big push," Narina said.

Sarah shuddered as her mother yelled as she pushed. Suddenly, she heard a faint cry.

 _Is the baby really here now?_ Sarah asked herself as she smiled. Ahsoka sighed loudly as Cayanna and Narina tended to the new arrival. Once they cut the umbilical cord, they went into the other room to clean off the baby.

Sarah kissed her mother's forehead. "You did it, mom. The baby is here."

"Thanks," Ahsoka replied, noticeably exhausted from her night of labor. "I know this wasn't supposed to happen yet, especially with us away from home and your father, but I'm glad you came back and stayed with me," she added.

"I promised father I'd watch out for you." Sarah then checked the time. Back home, it was already the next day. Her sibling's birthday would be January 27.

Narina returned with the baby bundled up in a gray blanket. "It's a girl," she announced.

"Yes!" Sarah replied as she joyously pumped her fist. For the past several months, she secretly hoped for a little sister; getting her wish pleased her. As Narina handed the girl to Ahsoka, Sarah leaned in to look at her sister for the first time.

The girl looked almost identical to her mother and older sister with a Togruta appearance, albeit with a lighter orange skin tone than either of theirs. Sarah noticed small white triangular markings on her temples along with a pair of lines running down the middle of the girl's head with a brief separation in the middle. Although her markings arched above her eyes like Ahsoka's did, she also had separate white arches below her eyes, similar to Sarah's. Sarah also noticed her sister had what looked like small white diamonds marking her cheeks. The newborn then opened her eyes and looked at her mother and sister with emerald green irises. As Sarah looked at her sister more, she noticed the girl had a small patch of fine light hair on her forehead.

 _She definitely looks more human than I do, but there's no doubt we're related,_ Sarah thought.

"She's adorable, isn't she?" Ahsoka asked Sarah.

Sarah nodded.

"Now for the most important thing—coming up with a name."

"What?" Sarah asked in disbelief. "You don't have a name for her yet?"

Ahsoka weakly shook her head no. "With your father training Molly and my complications, we never really discussed names for her," she admitted. "Now that she's here, she needs one. What do you think we should name her?"

"You want me to pick one?"

"Your father isn't here, so I can't ask him. Why not ask you?"

Sarah closed her eyes and tried to think of a name for her sister. She found herself thinking about her previous trip to Shili and the tale she heard the storyteller share.

"How about Emilina†?" Sarah asked. The story convinced Sarah that her sister, given her more-obvious hybrid appearance, would be some sort of pioneer.

"After the legend we heard?" Ahsoka asked.

"Well... yeah. In the story, she was the first woman to earn a headdress. Why not name her after someone important from our people's history?"

Ahsoka smiled and nodded.

"I have a question, though. Did you guys have any other names in mind for me?"

Ahsoka thought for a moment. "I can't remember what all we discussed after all these years. But, I do remember he suggested the name Danielle if I didn't like the name Sarah."

Sarah made eye contact with her sister, who continued to look intently at her and her mother. "So, what do you think of Emilina Danielle?" she asked the infant.

The girl fluttered her eyes at Sarah, a gesture the latter interpreted as approval.

"Are you ready to record her name?" Narina asked.

"Yeah," Ahsoka replied.

"Will her tribe name be Tano?"

"No, I'll have to spell it for you."

As Ahsoka helped Narina with Emilina's full name, Da'Meon entered the guest hut with an older Togruta couple.

"Ahsoka, Sarah, it's custom here that tribal elders welcome new members of the tribe with a ceremony and prayers. Given the circumstances, though, they've agreed to keep it very short tonight," Da'Meon stated.

Sarah looked on in confusion. She asked herself, _Couldn't this wait until the morning?_

Cayanna took Sarah aside and spoke in a low, discreet voice.

"Sarah, ever since we met you and your mother, we knew about her past as a Jedi. I assume you'll likely be one too, some day. Due to the situation here, a newborn just like you both could pose danger, so we want you to return home once you had a chance to rest over night."

Sarah nodded as she and Cayanna rejoined the others. Both elders held Emilina together, and the male said, «Emilina, may you be blessed with the wisdom and strength you need to become a mighty warrior.»

Sarah watched as her datapad translated most of the words, except one.

«What does ' _carra_ ' mean in Basic?» Sarah asked the elders.

"Wisdom," he answered with a smile. "I asked her to be blessed with wisdom and strength. I hope you plan to teach her, Mighty Princess."

Sarah nodded as the elders left. As Sarah looked at her mother, the latter appeared to be close to falling asleep if she wasn't sleeping already. Turning back to Cayanna, Sarah asked, "What do the Elders do? I don't remember them from last time."

"Former tribe leaders that retire and remain in good graces remain with the tribe as elders respected for their wisdom and past leadership. They also perform various ceremonies such as the one they did tonight. In different circumstances, they would have done this during the day and call for a banquet honoring Emilina's birth."

"Cool."

"Sarah, given how late it is, you should sleep now while you can. That way, you can be rested for what's probably a long trip home," Cayanna stated.

Sarah nodded. "Yeah, I just hope we'll be OK."

"You can stay in the other room, like you did last time. We'll see you in the morning."

Sarah climbed in to bed without changing and pulled the covers over her. Despite the excitement of capturing a bounty hunter and meeting her new sister, she felt exhausted. It didn't take long before she joined her mother in a sound sleep.

* * *

 **Chapter Endnotes:**

* The IPA pronunciation for "Narina" is /ˈnɑ:r.i:ˌnɒ/.

† The IPA pronunciation for "Emilina" is /ˌɛm.ɪˈli:.nɒ/.


	3. (Ch 2) Duality

"Sarah, wake up," Da'Meon said.

Sarah yawned and stretched. Daylight meant it was morning, but she wasn't sure what time it was on Shili.

"Your mother is already up and waiting for you. As soon as you eat, you can prepare to return home."

Sarah climbed out of bed and joined Da'Meon. Seeing nobody else around aside from her mother, Da'Meon and Cayanna surprised her.

"Where is everyone?" Sarah asked.

"Busy with lessons or daily tasks," Cayanna replied.

"Good morning, Sarah," Ahsoka said softly.

"Hey, mom. Why is Emilina still sleeping?"

"Newborn Togruta sleep 20 hours a day," Cayanna interjected.

"But she's a hybrid."

"You slept almost as long when you were born," Ahsoka stated. "Your father liked knowing you had regular sleeping patterns, unlike human newborns."

"Oh, OK."

As Sarah finished her breakfast, another Togruta approached Da'Meon. Sarah thought he looked out of place; most members of the Tano had orange skin. This male had red skin and white patches around his eyes. Sarah reasoned he was some sort of guest as he handed Da'Meon a rolled-up parchment.

After Da'Meon read the message, he bowed his head and said, «May she enjoy the rewards of the great afterlife. Tell your chief I will attend tomorrow's ceremony.»

The visitor bowed and left.

As Ahsoka held the still-asleep Emilina, Da'Meon asked her, "Did you know one named Shaak Ti?"

Ahsoka nodded.

"It's been reported that she died recently on the planet Felucia."

Ahsoka, still mentally and physically drained from giving birth, broke down and cried.

"No, no, no!" she exclaimed. As she cried, Emilina woke with a start. Feeling her mother's heart racing, she started to fuss a bit.

Cayanna took Emilina from her mother and handed her to Sarah, showing the latter how to properly hold her newborn sister. Emilina still fussed a bit, unsure of what caused her mother's discomfort.

"It's OK, you're safe now," Sarah assured her sister.

Emilina's eyes fluttered as she slowly calmed down.

"You may wish to leave at once," Da'Meon stated. "Just in case the death of the Ti and the bounty hunter's appearance are related to each other."

Sarah and Ahsoka nodded. Cayanna helped Ahsoka stand up and walk slowly. Da'Meon walked on the opposite of Ahsoka, helping her as necessary, while Sarah continued to hold Emilina carefully as she walked alongside her mother.

"I'm sure you're curious, Sarah, but the Ti is our neighbor tribe. They're settled across the river a short distance from us. The Tano and the Ti have had a peaceful relationship for five generations, I believe, now without a formal peace treaty. We consider it a point of pride. We **always** do our best to help each other in times of need," Cayanna said.

Sarah nodded. News of another tribe near their own impressed her.

"OK, stop right here," she told Da'Meon and Cayanna. She then pulled the ship's fob out of her pouch and pressed the button that decloaked the ship. Her cousins looked on in awe to see a ship seemingly materialize out of nowhere.

As Sarah lowered the gangway, Da'Meon told her, «Thank you for helping your people, Mighty Princess. Take care of your mother and be an example for your new sister.»

Cayanna then hugged Sarah. "May your next visit be under better circumstances, and include your father," she told her.

Sarah helped her mother enter the ship and walked with her to the back of the ship where there was an extra bench.

After securing her safety harness with help from Sarah, Ahsoka said, "Let me have Emilina. You'll need to fly us home. Do you think you remember how to do it?"

Sarah handed her sister to her mother and answered, "Yeah. I guess I'm glad you showed me how to do it."

"Once you take off, there is a button marked with what looks like the number seven. That's an Aurebesh letter 'R.' if you press it, it will automatically plot our return course by reversing our starting and ending points."

"Thanks, mom. To be honest, flying us home sounds like it's going to be easier than everything else I've done in the past 24 hours."

"Just get us home safely, Sarah. And when we return to Earth's atmosphere, radio in for the medical staff to join us."

Sarah nodded as she powered up the ship. She carefully worked the instrumentation to initiate the take-off sequence. Seeing a green button flicker, she assumed she did everything correctly. As the ship rose up and began to fly, Sarah smiled.

* * *

With the ship cruising in lightspeed through the intergalactic conduit. Sarah made sure the auto-pilot remained active.

 _How's father going to react to Emilina being born? I hope he won't freak out once he sees how adorable she is,_ Sarah thought. However, she had another question—one she'd wanted to ask her mother since they left Shili.

 _Now is as good a time as any,_ Sarah thought as she unbuckled her harness and walked to the back of the ship.

"Hey, mom, I wanted to ask you—" Sarah began before she froze.

"Ahh!" Sarah screamed. She didn't expect to see her mother sitting sideways on the bench with her right side totally exposed while she held Emilina rather close against her body.

"What's wrong with **you**?" Ahsoka asked calmly.

"Mom, you're half-undressed. I don't wanna see you this way!"

"Your sister was hungry. You don't need to freak out about it."

"I still don't want to see you looking like this."

"Sarah, this is how a new mother normally feeds her child. If I knew your sister was going to arrive when she did, I'd have better prepared for it."

Sarah shuddered and looked away. "I think I'm scarred for life," she mumbled.

Ahsoka shook her head. Although she thought Sarah was making more of a fuss than necessary, perhaps she could make the situation less awkward for her teen daughter.

"Sarah, give me your Jedi robe."

"What?"

"Take it off and hand it to me."

"Umm, OK." Sarah removed her outer robe and handed it to her mother. "I hope I get it back before we land. It's cold back home."

"I should be done by then." Ahsoka then took Sarah's robe and used it to cover her right side and Emilina. Noticing Sarah still watching, she said, "You're still going to freak out if you keep looking there. Now, what did you want to ask me?"

Sarah stood in front of her mother with her mouth slightly agape. Finally, she asked the first question that came to her mind. "Did I do that?"

"Of course you did," Ahsoka replied with a nod. "It's totally natural, and it's not the big deal you're making it out to be."

Sarah nodded in reply before asking, "Does it hurt?"

Ahsoka chuckled. "Only when you got your sharp canine teeth," she replied with a slight smile.

Sarah shuddered and folded her arms across her chest. The mere thought of being bitten **there** with sharp teeth sounded as painful as it must have felt.

However, Sarah finally remembered the original question she intended to ask. "Mom, who was that Ti person that died?"

Ahsoka took a deep breath. "Shaak Ti was a Togruta Jedi Master when I was a padawan before I came to Earth. I always looked up to her growing up. Sometimes, I even imagined myself as her padawan so I could learn more about our people."

Sarah looked on with concern as her mother started to look sadder.

"Mom, what's wrong?"

"I just realized that with her gone, **I'm** the only surviving Togruta Jedi anywhere. Some Jedi I am... I just had another daughter and now I have to raise her. The only Jedi of our people and I can't even be one now."

Sarah gently put her hand on her mother's right shoulder. "I'll be a Jedi soon enough. Then, there will be two of us. And if my sister is like us, she'll be one, too. You won't be alone, mom—not for long."

A chiming from the front of the ship interrupted the conversation. Sarah knew it meant the lightspeed portion of their trip was about to end. She quickly returned to the controls and fastened her safety harness. As the ship exited the conduit, Sarah felt as if time froze. Sarah found herself flashing back to a dream she had when she was 12—one where she held a newborn Togruta.

She thought, _That wasn't your child in the dream, it was your little sister!_ She was eager to tell her mom about the dream and its possible significance, but it had to wait. The return trip home was more important.

"This is Shili-1 to base," Sarah called into the radio.

"This is OJ Base to Shili-1," Knight Ashley replied. "What is your status? Over."

"Our ETA* is 15 minutes. Please have medical staff waiting for us. Over."

"Acknowledged. Medical staff will be dispatched. You are clear to land on runway alpha and return to your usual hangar. Over."

Sarah was about to answer, but she heard her father on the other end.

"Sarah, what are you doing on the radio? Is everything OK?"

"Couldn't be better," she replied quickly. "Over and out," she added before ending the transmission.

* * *

Inside the hangar, Tim looked on anxiously as Knight Rachel and her assistant, Andrea, waited for Shili-1's gangway to open.

"I wish we knew what's going on in there," Tim said.

"Don't worry, Master, I'll check everything out," Rachel replied.

As the gangway opened, Rachel and Andrea went inside. Rachel was about to ask Sarah what the medical emergency was, but she spotted Emilina in Ahsoka's lap.

"Go get a stretcher," Rachel told Andrea. The latter nodded and left the ship.

Tim than ran into the ship and towards everyone else in the back. "What's wrong?" he asked before he noticed a small bundle in Ahsoka's lap.

"Hey, honey. Our daughter was born yesterday."

"Well, the 27th," Sarah interjected.

"You're right, that was yesterday," Tim replied.

Sarah wasn't sure if her father was overjoyed or freaking out. However, Andrea's return didn't give him much chance to react any further.

"Here, Sarah," Ahsoka said as she handed Sarah her outer robe. Sarah quickly put it back on to stay warm.

Rachel and Andrea helped Ahsoka onto the stretcher. Next, they secured Emilina alongside her so that mother and daughter could be transported together.

"Meet us in the med bay. We also need to check Sarah out," Rachel stated.

Tim nodded as Rachel and Andrea left for the return trip back to the medical bay.

"Why do I have to be checked out?" Sarah asked. "Mom had the baby."

"After your first trip to Shili, it was decided that anyone that travels between galaxies needs a cursory medical scan just as we do when Jedi travel abroad for missions. It's just for safety and to make sure you haven't picked up any odd diseases or creepy crawlies," her father replied.

"Oh, that makes sense."

After taking her father's hand, Sarah proudly stated, "I caught the bounty hunter, but I forgot and used my lightsaber to disarm him. But our secret is still safe. Oh, and I got to be with mom when she had my sister."

"I'm surprised and impressed. I bet this will be an exciting post-mission report for you to write."

* * *

With everyone in the medical bay, Knight Rachel had Sarah sit down for her medical scan."

"I'll do yours first because it should be quick and I know you're in a hurry, padawan," Rachel said. Sure enough, Sarah's medical scan revealed nothing out of the ordinary.

"You're all set," she told Sarah.

Sarah nodded. "I'd like to stay with father for now—and mom and my sister."

"As you wish." Rachel then walked over to Ahsoka's bed and asked, "How do you feel?"

"Tired, sore, but OK otherwise."

Rachel scanned Ahsoka. "Your temperature is 100.4 [38° C]—normal but on the high end. We'll keep an eye on that." As she examined Ahsoka, she noticed some sort of wrap around her abdomen.

"What's this?"

"The healer did that after I had the baby," Ahsoka explained. "She used some healing herbs to make a bandage for me. She said it would reduce the swelling."

Rachel scanned Ahsoka again. "Well, whatever it is, it must have worked. You're not too swollen, amazingly."

"Our people may live simply, but they're smart and resourceful," Ahsoka replied with a smile.

"I'll leave it on for now, but I'll probably have to remove it later. If you don't mind, I'd like to analyze it and see what I can find out about those herbs."

"Sure," Ahsoka replied. She felt pleased to know Rachel appeared interested in Tribal Togruta medicine, no matter how simple it might be.

"Now, let's see how little Emilina is doing." As Rachel removed a sleepy Emilina from her blanket, Sarah looked on in surprise to see her sister didn't have head-tails. However, she did have two small blue-gray dots on the top of her head, suggesting the girl would eventually develop montrals when she was older. As Rachel lightly tapped each of the dots, Emilina woke up with a start and began to cry.

"Hey! Don't hurt my sister!" Sarah called out, sensing her sister's discomfort through the Force.

"Uh, Sarah, she's **supposed** to do that," Ahsoka replied. "That's how to check to make sure they'll develop properly when she's older. If she cries, there's nothing wrong with them."

"Oh," Sarah replied sheepishly. Turning to Knight Rachel, she added, "Sorry." Finally, she asked her mother, "Why doesn't she have tails yet? Is it because she's a hybrid?"

"No, we're born that way. They grow after birth. I think it's so they don't wrap around her neck during birth. Yours started growing after you were born and stayed shoulder length until recently. I imagine she's going to be the same way."

Rachel completed her medical scans and saved the information in her patient files. "Everyone checks out OK. Ahsoka, given your temperature, you should stay here overnight to rest and recover. I might normally let you go home tomorrow or Sunday, but Emilina should stay the entire weekend because she came six weeks early. I want to make sure she stays healthy now that she's back here and before I release her to go home. Given I'd prefer to keep mother and new daughter together, I want you to stay here with her, if you don't mind."

"I don't mind. I'd rather be here with my daughter than be home alone again," Ahsoka replied.

"Can I come meet my daughter now?" Tim asked slightly impatiently.

"Of course," Rachel answered. "But you need to wear a mask and gown."

"I do? Sarah didn't need one."

"You know the rules, master; we have to protect the early arrivals."

After he changed, Tim gently scooped up his day-old daughter.

"What's her name, anyways?" he asked.

"Emilina Danielle. Sarah helped me pick the name," Ahsoka replied.

"Really? That's impressive. I like it. It has a slight exotic sound to it, but it's not too unusual, either." He then looked down at his new daughter. "Hey, Emilina, I'm your daddy. I hope you get to see me again real soon when I don't look so scary. Bye for now, little one." He then handed her back to Knight Rachel. After giving his wife a parting kiss, he then left the medical bay with Sarah.

"So you completed the mission on your own?" Tim asked as he and Sarah walked through the hallways.

"Yup," Sarah replied with a smile. "Are you mad at me for revealing myself as a Jedi?"

"Well, that **was** a dangerous move on your part. If anyone finds out that shouldn't, it could make it unsafe for you to go back for a possibly-indefinite time."

"Father, don't worry. Da'Meon and Cayanna already knew mom and I were Jedi—well a hopeful one in my case. They promised our secret would remain safe for now."

"OK, but don't reveal yourself like that again unless you have no choice."

Sarah nodded. "While we were there, we learned another of mom's Jedi friends died—another Togruta."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, Master Ti. I can't remember her first name. Mom was really shaken by it and seemed very upset."

Tim briefly rubbed his goatee. "That's a concern. I may need to talk to Rachel and have her watch your mother for PPD."

"What's that?"

"Postpartum depression. It can be an issue with new mothers."

"Oh," Sarah replied with renewed concern.

"Don't worry, princess. We just have to do our best to be supportive of your mom and our new arrival, but I'm hoping she'll be fine."

"I love having a little sister."

"I hope you feel that way when she's older and annoys you."

* * *

After a trip to Arch Burgers for dinner. Sarah finished her post-mission report and transmitted it to the Jedi Council. Presumably, they'd review it on Monday or at some point during the coming week.

 _Master Del will be surprised,_ Sarah thought.

Sarah decided to slip out of her shoes, and she carefully sneaked down the basement stairs. She didn't expect to make it all the way behind her father before he realized she was there.

"Oh, I didn't hear you come down," he told her.

Sarah cracked a small smile. _Finally,_ she thought. "What had you so distracted?" she asked him.

"I decided to look up the name 'Emilina' online. You might want to read this. I bet you find it as interesting as I did."

Sarah looked over his shoulder to find a page discussing a 12th century nun from France known as Blessèd Emilina of Boulancourt. Sarah looked on in surprise to see her sister's name belonged to a Catholic nun from centuries ago. It surprised her more when she read: _She led a life of great penitence: […] going barefoot in both winter and in summer. she[sic] also led a wondrous life of prayer, constantly communing with God and frequently reciting the Psalms._ †

"Do you think she was a Togruta?" Sarah asked.

Tim chuckled. "I don't think so. What makes you ask that?"

"She went barefoot all the time, like a lot of our people on Shili do. It also makes me wonder if our Emilina will be devout, too."

"Only time will tell, Sarah. Why did you pick that name, anyways?"

"It's from a story when we went to Shili the first time. She was the first female to earn a headdress. When I saw she looked more human, I figured she'd have to be some sort of pioneer as a hybrid. I guess I got my wish—her name seems to be special on both of her home worlds."

"Maybe you're right. Perhaps she'll live up to her dual heritage. It's getting late, though. We should go to bed."

Sarah nodded. "Yes, father. Can we see them tomorrow?"

"Of course." Tim then closed the open applications on his computer and shut it down for the night.

* * *

Two days later, Sarah realized that the excitement of her sister's arrival meant she hadn't yet told Molly about what happened. Having just returned from Mass, Sarah went upstairs to her room, activated her datapad, and launched the text messaging module.

After selecting Molly's name from her contact list, she typed, _Hey, Molly, Sorry I forgot to write u. Home from Shili._ She was set to write more, but she accidentally tapped the "Send" button by mistake.

"Crap!" she said out loud. Undaunted, though, she started a new message that read, _BTW, baby came, itza girl :)._

A short time later, Sarah received a call from her best friend.

"Yeah ...Well, she came early ... Yeah, the mission went alright. But having a little sister is way more exciting … Actually, they might come home tomorrow if they're both doing well enough … That's be cool, huh? OK, Maybe I'll see you at lunch tomorrow … Bye!"

* * *

 **Chapter Endnotes:**

* This abbreviation is short for "Estimated Time of Arrival."

† As taken from the web page uscatholic·blogspot·com/2005/10/todays-saint-blesssed-emilina·html as retrieved on 2015-04-07. A centered dot replaces traditional periods to preserve the full URL.


	4. Epilogue

**Date:** January 31, 2028

* * *

As Sarah finished dressing for the morning, her datapad rang.

"Who's calling me this early?" Sarah asked out loud. The display read, _555-5334 OAK ACADEMY_ —the Jedi Order's general number.

"Hello?" Sarah asked as she answered the call.

"Sarah, It's your mom. I need you to do me a favor. It sounds like we're coming home this afternoon, so I need you to get me something to wear that will fit me better," Ahsoka replied.

"Umm, OK."

"Go into our closet and look on the far right side. There should be a brown top and pants together. Bring that with you when Delphine comes to pick you up. Oh, and bring me a pair of my gray leggings."

Sarah shook her head before answering, "Alright, mom, I'll get it for you. See you later."

* * *

After dropping off the change of clothes to her mother, Sarah and her master started their morning in a mediation chamber.

"I hear your trip was quite interesting. But, how did the actual mission itself go?" Delphine asked.

"OK, I guess. I caught the bounty hunter, but I instinctively used my lightsaber when he pulled a gun on me. I forgot it was too risky," Sarah replied.

"Did you forget what I taught you on our first mission? You do remember what I told you, right?"

Sarah closed her eyes and recalled the mission. Her master's Grand Master asked her to return to her hometown's Jedi Order to help rescue survivors from an accident where two planes collided. Sarah remembered being eager to use her lightsaber for the first time to cut a hole in one of the planes until her master raised the possibility that injured victims might be directly behind the door and unable to move away from the blade.

"Don't be so eager to use my lightsaber," Sarah conceded.

"I know it's exciting to be able to use one as a new padawan. But a good Jedi knows when to use it and when to resolve a situation without it."

"Are you mad at me?"

Delphine shook her head no. "You'll learn with experience, and more guidance from me. This morning, why don't you spend part of your meditation thinking about how you might have handled your situation differently, and then we can discuss it."

Sarah nodded and softly replied, "Yes, master," as she pulled a couple of pillows together so she could sit on the floor and meditate comfortably.

* * *

Later that morning, Tim and Molly sparred together in a sparring chamber. Molly did her best to make sure she didn't grip her lightsaber too tightly or too loosely. Still, she was impressed with how quickly she adjusted to her prosthetic hand over the past three months.

Tim used a misdirected fake and jabbed towards Molly with a standard Makashi move. The teen, however, panicked upon seeing the blade come so close to her wrist that it might singe the blue wristband she wore on it. Having a brief flashback to her fateful duel, she quickly thrust her left hand forward, Force-pushing her master away. He groaned as he hit the opposite wall and grimaced as he landed on his right wrist in an attempt to break his fall.

Molly quickly extinguished her training saber. "Master! Are you alright?" she asked.

"It appears our sparring session will end a little early today. Let's go to the med bay and see what Knight Rachel has to say."

"I'm sorry, master. It's just you got so close to me, I thought about what happened with the dust witch and panicked."

"Her name is **Darth Cactus** , you know."

"I know, but she's still a mean old witch if you ask me."

As Tim carefully stood back up, he replied, "In some ways, you remind me of another padawan."

"Who?"

"Master Cara was quite unorthodox as a padawan. Although she never slammed me into a wall like you just did, her first few sparring sessions were something else. Maybe you're not exactly like that, but you're still a bit too eager when you duel. But if she could settle down, so can you."

"Thanks, Master." Molly cracked a small smile as the pair left the sparring chamber. As much as she had hoped to have Master Cara train her, perhaps she'd come to enjoy having Tim as her master instead.

* * *

At the medical bay, Knight Rachel examined and scanned her superior's right wrist.

"Well, Master, the good news is it's not broken. The bad news is that you probably won't be able to hold a lightsaber for the rest of the week due to the sprain," the healer stated.

"Thank goodness I write left-handed," he told Rachel as she bandaged his wrist. As this happened, Ahsoka beckoned Molly to come see her.

"Hey, do you want to see the newest member of the family?" she asked.

Molly nodded. "Is that her next to you?"

"Yeah. She's sleeping right now, but you can still see her."

Molly looked at the infant and noticed her face markings. They appeared to be a combination of her mother's and her sister's. Molly also noticed the small patch of hair on her forehead.

"She's beautiful, isn't she?" Tim added as he rejoined his padawan.

"She has bright green eyes, too, at least when she's awake," Ahsoka added.

"What's her name?" Molly asked. _I don't want to call her "Sarah's sister" all the time,_ she thought.

"Emilina," Ahsoka answered with a smile. "Sarah helped name her."

Tim looked at his wife curiously. "Hey, how did you get a new outfit already?" he asked.

"Sarah brought it this morning. Guess what? We can come home today."

"Excellent. I'll come get both of you later, once we're done for the day."

Master Cara suddenly entered the med bay and joined the group.

"Master, there you are. I need to talk to you. I've had a family emergency come up and I need the rest of the week off. Master Cal said it was OK as long as I found someone to teach Ahsoka's class for me."

"Hmm, I can't do much in terms of training my padawan this week. And, first grade initiates are learning the basics, so it's nothing too intense. What do you say, Molly? How would you like to help me teach an initiate class? I hope you still know your Form I basics since you'll have to show them to the class for me."

"Anything that lets me use a lightsaber this week works for me," Molly replied eagerly.

"Alright, we'll do it," Tim stated.

"Thanks. Master Cal is in sparring chamber #4 right now. You'll find them there. I'll see you next week," Cara replied before leaving again.

Turning to Ahsoka, Tim said, "Well, I guess I'll come pick you up once their study session is done for the day. I'll see you soon."

* * *

On the way to the sparring chamber, Molly asked her master, "Isn't this the same class we mentored last year?"

"I believe so. They were first-year initiates last year, so they'd be first graders this year," Tim replied.

"Cool! I'll get to see familiar faces again."

As the pair entered the chamber, Master Cal paused the lesson.

"You're taking over for Cara?" he asked Tim.

"Well, I hurt my wrist during a spar," Tim replied, looking over at Molly. "And since I have to go easy this week, I figured my padawan and I could handle the class together."

"That works. I'll go ahead and fill you in as the substitute's substitute for the week."

As Master Cal left, the class looked at Tim and Molly curiously. The girl that Molly mentored the previous year waved at her.

"Master Tim, is it true Master Soka had her baby?" Amy asked.

"Yes, she did—another girl. I'll be sure to tell her the class asked about her," he replied.

After fielding a few more questions, he then told the class, "OK, we need to continue the rest of your lesson. I'm sure you remember my padawan, Molly. She'll review the basic moves you've been learning so I can see how much progress you've made."

* * *

As Sarah finished eating lunch with her master, the sight of her father and best friend escorting a group of students to the dining hall surprised her. As they sat at the table adjoining her own, she noticed it was the class that Master Cara had taken over from her mother.

"Molly, what are you doing here?" Sarah asked.

"I panicked during a sparring session and I Force-pushed your dad into the wall. He ended up spraining his wrist."

"Yeah, so she's going to be my assistant while I take over teaching your mom's class this week. Master Cara had an emergency of her own," Tim added.

"Hey, Sarah!" Amy called out. "I heard about your sister. That's so cool. Congrats."

"Thanks," Sarah replied. "I love Emi* a lot already."

* * *

After the chime sounded to end the academic study session, Tim dismissed the class.

"I'll see everyone tomorrow morning. Initiate Amy, may I see you for a minute," he said. Upon Amy's classmates teasing her—albeit playfully—he added, "You're not in trouble. The rest of you are dismissed."

Once the remainder of her home-school classmates left, Tim told Amy, "If it wasn't for you, Knight Ahsoka might have lost the baby. I just wanted to say thanks."

Amy smiled and replied, "Are they really OK?"

"As soon as we're done here, They'll be coming home together for the first time."

"Cool! I hope she likes our card."

"That was a good idea. I hope she likes it, too. I won't keep you, though. See you tomorrow, initiate."

As Amy left to join her mother, Tim and Molly returned to the med bay. Ahsoka stood waiting with Emilina secured in a car seat. Molly noticed the latter's emerald green eyes before Emilina fluttered them at the master-padawan pair.

"Well, Soka, are you ready to come home?" Tim asked his wife.

"Definitely," she replied.

Tim carefully picked up Emilina's car seat due to his bandaged wrist. Looking at his daughter, he asked her, "Hey, Emilina, are you ready to go home?" After receiving what looked like a small smile in response, he turned to Molly and asked, "Molly, will you take her for us?"

Molly nodded and continued to look at her best friend's little sister. Finally, she decided to introduce herself.

"Hey, Emilina, I'm Molly—Sarah's best friend and your father's padawan."

Emilina continued to look curiously at Molly as the latter shrugged her shoulders. _She probably doesn't even understand what I'm saying,_ Molly thought.

As they reached the main entrance, Tim stopped walking.

"Hold on a minute. I want to keep a promise," he said. Turning towards Knight Ashley, he asked her, "Before we go, how would you like to meet my newest daughter?"

"Sure, it's pretty quiet right now," she replied.

Molly brought Emilina over to Ashley's desk. Ashley then unfastened the infant from her car seat and carefully held her.

"It's nice to meet you, Emilina, and to be one of the first non-family members to hold you," Ashley stated.

"How did you know her name, already?" Ahsoka asked.

"Sarah told me when she arrived this morning. She was very excited. I really appreciate being one of the first to hold both your daughters. I hope I get to watch her grow up just like her older sister."

"Sarah is definitely a proud big sister. I'll see you soon."

After Ashley re-secured Emilina in her car seat, the group left for home.

* * *

Elsewhere, Sarah finished up one of her academic assignments. Although the training part of the day was over, she still wanted to submit her assignment before dinner.

"Are you done, Sarah?" Delphine asked.

"Yeah, Master. What's up?"

"I know you've been distracted all day, but since you did a good job sparring today and finishing your assignments, I'm going to take you home so we can see if your sister came home yet."

"Really?"

"Of course. I have a sister, too. So, I know how exciting it is to welcome her home for the first time. Let's go."

"You don't have to ask me twice!" Sarah replied.

* * *

Tim unlocked the front door and entered his house. Ahsoka followed behind while Molly brought Emilina and her car seat inside.

"Just put her on the couch for now," Tim told his padawan. Turning to his wife, he handed her a card. "This is for you," he told her.

Ahsoka opened and read the card. She smiled upon seeing it was made by her students and it had their names and congratulations written inside.

"They made this for me?" she asked.

"One of your students, Amy, thought we needed to do something nice for you. So we finished up our study session doing that for you."

"Let them know I said thanks."

Tim nodded. Suddenly, the door opened again. This time Sarah entered with her master close behind. Spotting Emilina inside her car seat, Sarah quickly ran up to her.

"Emi, you're home!" Sarah squealed joyfully. She carefully unsecured and scooped her sister out of the car seat. Seeing her mother standing off to the side, she added, "Mom! You're back, finally. I missed you."

Ahsoka smiled. She felt pleased to see Sarah so happy that her white stripes seemed brighter than usual.

"Molly, Master Del, this is my adorable little sister, Emilina," she told them. Emilina looked at everyone curiously.

 _I hope she's not too overwhelmed,_ Molly thought. Still, she felt the newborn looked happy as she occasionally fluttered her eyes.

"I better start dinner," Tim said. Another knock on the door, however, interrupted him. As he opened the door, his parents entered.

"Mom, dad, what are you doing here?"

"You said they were coming home today. We wanted to see our new granddaughter," his father answered.

"I guess you're right. I didn't expect you so soon, though. I better get dinner started with so many people here. Sarah has her sister, so just look for her."

Sarah, upon seeing her grandmother, gave Emilina to the latter. Both granddaughter and grandmother slowly worked their way into the kitchen as the latter looked curiously at her granddaughter's thumbnails.

"Emilina has NPS?†" she asked curiously.

"Yeah, you must have noticed her thumbnails."

"What about her eyes?"

"Don't worry, ma. I'm already planning to have her get a medical scan every three months. Given her mother has heightened senses, I'm not sure if it will affect her eyes more, less, or about the same. We'll keep a close watch, though."

Satisfied, Tim's mother returned to the front room.

"Sarah, who is this?" she asked, referring to Molly.

Sarah was set to answer, but Molly replied first.

"I'm Molly, your son's padawan and Sarah's best friend. You'll like your new granddaughter. She's adorable."

Seeing Ahsoka sitting off to the side, Molly went over to sit down beside her.

"How are you now that you're back home again?" Molly asked.

Ahsoka sighed. "I'm glad to be home finally. I wasn't expecting Emilina to be born while we were on Shili, but it's a relief to know she was born healthy."

"Were they able to take care of her since she came early?"

"They may live in tribes, Molly, but the tribe healers knows how to handle babies. Our tribe's healer knew enough to keep her bundled up and send us back home as soon as possible so Emilina could get more attention here."

"Cool! It would be nice to learn more about Shili sometime."

"You can ask me anything you want to know."

"Even though my master and I have to return to our own quarters again this spring, I'm still willing to keep talking to you between now and then. Besides, it will be cool to see Emilina some at night."

* * *

After everyone finished dinner, Delphine chose to return to the Jedi Order and her quarters there.

"Sarah, you can stay home overnight, so long as you rejoin me when your father and Molly return in the morning," she told her padawan.

"Thanks, again, Master Del. I appreciate this so much," Sarah replied.

Shortly after that, Tim's parents left, too.

"Thanks for the surprise visit. I hope you liked meeting your newest granddaughter," Tim said.

"I imagine you'll bring her to see us sometime soon," his father replied.

"Once things settle down, yes."

"It's nice to have another granddaughter. She even inherited more from you," his mother stated.

Sensing the comment was intended to be more of a compliment than an insult, Tim smiled. "I'll enjoy telling everyone she takes after me," he quipped.

* * *

During the overnight hours, a loud scream woke nearly everyone from their sleep. Emilina, however, remained sound asleep.

Sarah leaped up and feared the worst. She Force-pulled her lightsaber into her hand and ran across the hall to her parents' room. She stood in front of Emilina's crib and ignited her lightsaber, ready to protect her sister.

Molly grabbed her own lightsaber and ran across the hall from the spare bedroom. Although she didn't ignite her own saber, she noticed Sarah's protective stance.

"Relax, ladies," Tim said. "Ahsoka just had a bad dream."

Molly looked over and sensed Ahsoka's fear. Something had upset her to the point of crying. Sarah extinguished her lightsaber, but she continued to stand protectively in front of Emilina's crib.

"Sarah, it's OK. Come sit here on the bed," Ahsoka stated.

Sarah nodded. Satisfied that her sister was safe from harm, she sat at the foot of the bed.

Ahsoka made eye contact with her husband and told him, "It was horrible. I had a dream Master Plo Koon found me and disapproved of me marrying you and having children." After taking a deep breath, she added, "Master Shaak Ti then stood up for me, saying that I was the last Togruta Jedi and that my daughters' future knighthoods would restore honor for our people."

Ahsoka shuddered before she spoke again. "Master Plo then killed her in cold blood for saying that, and he turned to me saying I was next. As he swung his lightsaber at me, that's when I screamed and woke up."

"Soka, it was only a dream, especially since you've said both of them are dead," Tim replied reassuringly.

"I know, honey, but what if it means something?"

"Try not to worry about it. It was just a nightmare. I'll help you fall back asleep." Turning to Sarah and Molly, he told them, "OK ladies, time for all padawans to go back to bed. We have a busy day tomorrow."

Molly got up from her chair and walked over to the bed. "Good night, Ahsoka. Sleep well," she said.

Ahsoka smiled, replying with a simple, "Thanks."

Molly left the room and noticed Emilina was still sound asleep. _Maybe being awake for all her visitors conked her out,_ she thought.

Sarah kissed her mother's forehead. "Mom, you'll be OK. Besides, I won't let anything happen to you or Emi," she said.

Ahsoka nodded, replying, "Good night, Sarah. Emilina is lucky her big sister is quick to look out for her."

Sarah smiled as she left and returned to her room.

Alone again, Tim gently hugged Ahsoka and slid one of his hands under Ahsoka's rear head-tail. Ahsoka gave a soft yelp as he brushed up against the spot where a small bundle of nerves was located.

"Sorry, I was trying to be gentle," Tim said in apology.

Ahsoka nodded as her husband did his best to massage the spot more gently.

"I know things have been crazy the past several months, but I'm glad everything turned out OK for you and our new daughter."

"Me, too," Ahsoka whispered in reply.

"And I know I haven't had the chance to say this much lately, but I do love you."

Ahsoka yawned as she softly replied, "I love … you … too," before her eyes slowly closed again and she fell asleep.

Tim slowly removed his hand from underneath her rear head-tail. He then wrapped his right arm around her midsection.

 _Don't worry, you'll sleep well tonight,_ he thought before he slowly fell asleep again.

* * *

 **Chapter Endnotes:**

* This is Sarah's nickname for her sister. It's pronounced just like the famous awards (IPA: /ˈɛm.i:/).

† NPS is Nail Patella Syndrome. It's a non-fatal hereditary condition. If a parent has it, there's a 50-50 chance any child will have it. More information is available at the website npsw·org.

* * *

 **Closing Commentary:** I imagine the idea of a new family member was as shocking for readers as it was in-story. However, this was an idea that came to mind early on when I first developed this AU and story line. It also shows that even Jedi aren't immune to dealing with the unexpected.

Also, there are hints as to what's happened between _The Other Half of the Family_ and this story. First, Tim has taken Molly as a padawan when the original choice for her master decided not to take a padawan at the last second. Second, Darth Stinger now has an apprentice known as Darth Cactus. As shared here, Molly's first encounter with the new Sith was a less-than-pleasant one, leading the teen to refer to her as a "dust witch." This is also a nod to Ahsoka's calling Asajj Ventress a "bog witch" in _Star Wars: The Clone Wars_.

I chose to use Shaak Ti's non-canon death because the timing more or less coincided with this particular time period. I realize this story ends in early 2 BBY (33 GrS) when Shaak's non-canon death occurs in 3 BBY. I imagine it would take some time for news about her death to make its way to Shili. Also, I liked the idea of a circle of life theme. After Shaak Ti dies, another hopeful Togruta Jedi is born shortly thereafter—even if she is a half-Human hybrid.

In addition, I purposely posted the chapter featuring Emilina's birth on October 27—the same day as Blessèd Emilina's feast day. I was very surprised to do an actual internet search on the name "Emilina" and discover what I did. The in-story Emilina's birth date of January 27 is exactly nine months before her namesake's feast day. This was another deliberately-planned detail. The trick was to make sure Emilina's early birth on Shili wasn't too early to pose any serious complications.

For anyone that read _The Other Half of the Family_ , you saw that one of my real-life friends on whom I based one of my original characters passed away earlier this year. I had told her in the past that if I ever had kids, I'd invite her be one of the first to meet and hold them. That never came to be, but I chose to keep that promise fulfilled here through our fictional characters.

I don't want to spoil anything yet to come. For now, though, know that Ahsoka's bad dream will be revisited in the future.

I wrote this story because the adult version of Emilina will be important when the time comes for me to write my crossover that takes place much later in the future. I felt readers would be shocked—perhaps even confused—to see Sarah with an adult sister with no previous mentions of her. I imagine some readers will want to watch her grow up just as we've watched Sarah grow up in the previous story, _Both Worlds_. While I doubt I'd ever go as in-depth with Emilina as I did for Sarah, I won't totally rule out the possibility that I could write shorter stories that focus on key points in her life. Still, we've already seen Sarah establish herself as a protective big sister. I don't think it will spoil anything to say that Sarah will continue to look out for her little sister until Emilina is old enough to stand up for herself.

Finally, thanks to everyone that read this for your continued support of this series.

END


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